Namaben was born in Dudhai. Her father had sheep, goats, and camel, and they migrated with the herds to Gujarat- Godhra, Modasa. At the age of twenty, she married and came to Lodai. Namaben's husband also herded, and she continued to migrate with the herds til about 1994, when her daughter was 6 months old. But her husband has arthritis, and finally he had to stop herding. They gave the herd to their daughter and now Hirabhai milks buffalo for Ahirs in Nadapar, where he stays.

Namaben learned embroidery from her family. She stitched many household decorations. Then, in 1995, when her daughter was a year old, the Nath of the Dhebaria community banned the making and use of traditional hand work. Namaben began to embroider Ahir work professionally, working on printed patterns. She left that to work with Kala Raksha when Jasuben Natha started a group in Lodai. Namaben has worked with Kala Raksha since then. In 2008 she participated in the large Bestseller Corporate Gift narrative project, learning the Tharparkar style in a workshop in Lodai.

A good artisan knows traditional colours, and does fine, dense work, Namaben says. But the art is doing what one likes to do. "We do our own design," she says. On reflection, she recalls that when traditional work was banned she was sad. But the community accepted it, and then she was relieved.

"Our embroidery tradition is over," she says. "What is left is commercial work. This will continue if we keep our eyes open." Namaben feels that identity is in the community. "We do everything for our daughter," she states. "She is our future."

About the KRV course, Namaben has no expectations. She approaches the subjects with an open mind.